Paving means



Oct. 1, 1935. F. R. HIGLEY 2,015,897

PAVING MEANS Filed Dec. 9, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ATTO RNEYS F. R. HIGLEY PAVING MEANS Oct. 1, 1935.

Filed Deb. 9, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEYS Patented Oct. 1, 1935 UNITED STATES TNT -OFFIC 10 Claims. (01. 94-8) This invention relates to means for covering a surface with a .mat ofinterlocked slabs, as of concrete or the like, and more particularly the invention has to do with the separator means by which a grille is constructed, overlaid upon the surface to be covered, which grille comprises a form in which the concrete is poured.

Such a general arrangement, and the method of its operation, is disclosed in the copending aplo plication of Carl C. H. Tommerup, Serial No. 568,966, filed October 15, 193l,'and the objects of this invention are, briefly, improvements over the form of separator unit there disclosed.

The separator unit of this invention, and the 16 interlocking relation of slabs produced by the practice thereof, is the result of simple and inexpensivebends in the stock strip of which the unit is made. I

The exact nature of this invention together 20 with further objects and advantages thereof will beapparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings,

in which Figs. l-5 illustrate an elementary form of the invention and Figs. 6-10 illustrate another 25 embodiment thereof, other modifications thereof 301 duced from the blank of Fig. 1 by bending; Figs.

3 and 4 are details illustrating the manner of assembly of the units, and showing the parts respectively before and after assembly; and Fig. 5 is a plan view illustrating a grille made up by as- 3 sembly of a number of units "like that illustrated in Fig. 2. Figs. 6-10 correspond with Figs. l-5, Fig. 6 illustrating a blank from which a unit is made; Fig. '7 is a plan View of the unit made from Fig. 6; Figs. 8 and 9 are'enlarged elevation views illustrating the manner' of assembly of the'units of Fig. 7, Fig. 9 comprising a sectional elevation as inthe plane of line 99, Fig. 10; and Fig. 10 illustratesa grille formed by assembly of units such as that of Fig. 7.

With reference now to Figs. 1 -5 of the drawings, the'blank illustrated in Fig. 1 is cut from a stock strip of sheet metal or the like. The ends are sloping as indicated and are provided with tongues l; Intermediate the ends area pair of slots. 2 obliquely disposed. The unit of Fig. 2 is madefrom the. blank of Fig. 1 simply by bending along the obliquely transverse lines 3. The unit thus comprises a pair of bends 4 with a stretch 5 between the ends and stretches 6 beyond the 5'; bends, the tongues i extendingfrom the free ends slope in opposite directions with respect to the if general plane but all three panels preferably have the same slope from the general plane. The angularity of adjacent stretches in their common general plane is 120.

The bends 4 are preferably so located that the 10? upper edges of the panels formed by the three stretches will be of equal length. Consequently the lower edges will be of unequal length, and. with the slopes related as shown Fig. 2 the lower edge of the intermediate panel 5 is greater than those of the outer panels 6.

The slope of the slots 2 is such that, as shown Figs. 3 and 4, apair of similar units having their members disposed in a common general plane,

may be joined by insertion of the tongue I of one unit into one of the slots 2 of the other unit. The slots are located adjacent the bends 4 whereby when two units are so joined, the upper extremities of the adjacent panels thereof will meet as indicated Fig. 4 to define three 120 angles about a common point in the upper plane of the units. 1 i

The slope of the panels is determined by the obliqueness of the bends therebetween, which in turn obviously determines the slope of the slots. 0*

Thus as indicated Fig. 5, a grille may be made up of a plurality of similar units whose upper edges combine to form a hexagonal pattern, each hexagon of which is equilateral. As to each hexagon of the grille, the lower edge of the unit panel forming its side, however, will deviate from the upper edge, and the arrangement is such that the deviation will be in opposite direction on adjacent sides. Thus for each hexagon three alternate sides slope outwardly and the other three sides slope inwardly.

After such agrille is formed by assembly of units on a horizontal surface as indicated Fig. 5, and after the interstices of the grille are filled withconcrete or the like and the filler is allowed to set, the result will obviously be a mat of rigid hexagonal slabs the upper surface of the mat showing a uniform hexagonal pattern. Each slab is interlocked with three alternate adjacent slabs, having its edges underlyingthe corresponding edges of said adjacent slabs. And similarly each slab is interlocked with the other, alternate, three adjacent slabs, having its edges overlying the corresponding edges thereof. Thus no slab of the matmay be displaced either 5 downwardly or upwardly with respect to its surrounding slabs, yet there may be angular motion between adjacent slabs, so that the mat as a whole is flexible.

Where the slab sizes are to be large, so that the stretches or panels of the units will have considerable length, they may be given strength against flexure by suitable deformations, while still defining generally the sloping planes described. a

With reference now to the modification of Figs. 6-10, the blank of Fig. 6 is provided with centrally located tongues la projecting straight outwardly from its ends. Its slots 2a are of the bent form indicated, and it is bent along the obliquely transverse lines 3a and 3b, and also bent or creased along the longitudinal line 3:0, to form the unit shown Fig. '7.' The direction of bend at the crease line 31: is'opposite on adjacent sides of the bends 3a and 3b as indicated.

7 There being two bends 3a and corresponding between. Each stretch, however, now comprises a pair of panels lying in planes sloping from eachother and also sloping from the general plane ofrthe unit, and joined with each other along the crease line 3m. Thus the unit comprises six panels in all, none of them perpendicular to the general plane and each angularly related to all of the others. In fact it will be observed that the unit of Fig. '7 comprises in effect a pair of units such as that of Fig. 2 overlaid upon each other with reverse angularity and with edges joined with each other on a line corresponding with the crease line 31:. Owing to the creases running therealong, to give each unit stretch a V-form in transverse section, the stretches have rigidity.

, As indicated Figs. '8 and 9 assembly of units may be had generally as before, the tongues la entering the slots 2a to properly located the units one with another. As shown Fig. 7 the general relation of adjacent stretches is with 120 angularity, so that a hexagonal grille as shown Fig.10 may be made up of a plurality of units so assembled. The units may be secured in their assembly by pinching together the angularly related ends of the projecting tongues Ia, as indicated at Fig. 9, or the same result would be had by flattening the tongue ends and bending them in the reverse direction.

The matmay be formed as before by pouring concrete into the grille and allowing it to set. When the mat is thus formed, each slab will be interlocked with each of its surrounding slabs, each edge of each slab being of V-form in transverse section, concavely on three alternate sides and convexly on the other three sides. Thus the mat as a whole is flexible as before although each of its slabs is inflexible.

" While I have illustrated and described but two'forms of my invention, it will be apparent that many modifications are possible. For example by increasing the number of longitudinally extending bends or creases in the blank, each stretch of the unit may bemade to comprise a correspondingly greater number of panels. Thus, just as the form of Fig. 7 is derived from theform of Fig. 2 by employing a single longitudinal crease, producing a transverse stretch section of V characteristic, with two sets of panels, so by employing two longitudinal creases,

ploying three longitudinal creases a W characteristic section with four sets of panels, would be obtained. In each case the panels of a set lying adjacent and on the same side of a crease line, if they have slope, should have slope in opposite directions in adjacent stretches.

However, it is not essential that all sets of panels have slope. By making a pair of corresponding portions of the bend lines between creases perpendicularly transverse of the blank, a set of panels may be produced which will define planes perpendicular to the general plane of the unit.

'While in the examples illustrated and described, each unit is shown as comprising three stretches, disposed at 120 angular relationship, and while such arrangement is preferable, it is not essential to the invention. For example, the unit might have but two stretches disposed at 120 from each other, so that a hexagonal grille might be assembled, employing three units of two stretches each where as above illustrated and described two units of three stretches each are employed. Similarly a rectangular pattern 'might be made by employing two stretches per unit and disposing them at 90, in which event of course the angles of the bent lines would be of increased obliqueness.

What I claim is:

1. A separator unit for the purpose described, comprising a pair of angularly related stretches of strip material arranged end to end in generally fiat panels to define planes not perpendicular to the general common plane of said stretches.

2. In a separator unit for the purpose described, a pair of angularly related adjacent stretches comprising panels defining planes not perpendicular to the general plane of said stretches, adjacent panels having contiguity along straight lines.

3. In a separator unit for the purpose described, a pair of angularly related adjacent stretches comprising panels defining planes not perpendicular to the general plane of said stretches, adjacent panels being joined by bends along straight lines.

4. A separator unit for the purpose described comprising a strip bent to provide a pair of angularly related stretches running from the bend, said bend' including a portion running obliquely transverse of the strip whereby the adjacent panels of said stretches will define planes which are not perpendicular to the general plane of the unit.

5. A separator unit for the purpose described comprising a strip bent obliquely to provide contiguous angularly related stretches defining planes not perpendicular to the general plane of the unit.

6. A separator unit for the purpose described comprising a strip bent to provide a pair of angularly related stretches running from the bend, said bend being oblique across said strip, whereby said stretches will define planes which are not perpendicular to the general plane of the unit.

'7. A separator unit for the purpose described comprising a strip bent to provide a plurality of angularly related stretches, said bends being obliquely transverse of the strip and of opposite slope but in a'common direction, whereby said stretches may define edges of a thick polygon with its adjacent edges sloping in opposite directions.

8. A separator unit for the purpose described comprising a strip bent to providea plurality of angularly related stretches each stretch being longitudinally creased to provide a plurality of angularly related panels, the creases being in opposite directions in adjacent stretches.

9. A separator unit for the purpose described comprising a strip bent to provide a plurality of angularly related stretches each stretch being longitudinally creased to provide a plurality of angularly related panels, the creases being in opposite directions in adjacent stretches, and the bends between adjacent panels being obliquely transverse of the strip.

10. A separator unit for the purpose described comprising a strip bent to provide a pair of angularly related stretches running from the bend, said strip being creased along a longitudinal 'line, oppositely in said stretches, whereby each stretch will define a pair of planes, and each of the planes defined by said pair of stretches will be angularly related to all the other planes so defined.

FRANK R. HIGLEY. 

